Travel down the highways and bye-ways of Commonwealth stamp collecting for news and views about Commonwealth stamps.

Monday, 25 April 2016

748. Guernsey Post Celebrates The Four Seasons.

Guernsey Post will issue an attractive set of 4 stamps on 25 May 2016 on the subject of the Four seasons in Guernsey. The 64p value will also be Guernsey Post's contribution to the 2016 SEPAC minibus. My favourite design from the set is the highly dramatic scene depicted on the 70p stamp which depicts giant waves rising higher than St. Peter Port lighthouse during a winter storm. Rating:- *****.

Guernsey Post will also issue a single 64p stamp on 6 May 2016 as its contribution to the annual Europa omnibus. As I've stated many times, I really don't like the design which is being used on the stamps of all contributing postal administrations but I praise Guernsey Post for issuing a single reasonably low face value stamp unlike greedy little Jersey Post which could not stop itself issuing 4 stamps at a much greater cost to stamp collectors. Therefore, though I dislike the stamp, I give it *** for the restraint shown by Guernsey Post.

The same tiresome design of course features on 1 of the the upcoming An Post stamps to be released on 12 May 2016. The second design of the set which is unique to the postal service of Ireland emphasises the theme "Think Green" in an abstract collection of various shades of green. There is no denying that the €1.05 value makes one "think green" though what that means is not made clear by the stamp. The issue was designed by Red Dog Design and Doxia Sergidou and lithographed by Cartor, perforated 14.5 x 14. Rating:- **.

There seem to be 2 new strips, each of 5 different stamps which have been produced by Universal Mail United Kingdom. The first is one of the "Bespoke" series produced on behalf of Belfast Castle available only from that one site while the second is from the regular "England" series, sold directly by Universal Mail and therefore easily available to collectors, on the subject of Windsor. Rating:- ***.

Pakistan Postissued a single stamp on 22 April 2016 to commemorate "National Book Day". The stamp was designed by Mughiz Khan and lithographed by Pakistan Security Printing Corporation, Pakistan, perforated 13. Rating:- *.

Trinidad And Tobago Postal Corporation issued 3 provisional surcharges during 2015 as depicted below. The first stamp was a $1 surcharge on the 1c "Cocoa industry" value of the 1969 definitive series. This is a surprising stamp for T and T Postal Corporation to have put into use since it includes a cameo of Queen Elizabeth II who was the Head of State of Trinidad And Tobago when the stamp was first issued but who ceased to be so when the country became a republic in 1976. Thus a stamp first issued 46 years ago, which features The Queen now rather inappropriately, has been re-employed for postal usage by surcharging it.

The second stamp is from the "Local herbal medicine" issue of 2005 with a $2 surcharge applied and the third is a $3.25c surcharge on the 85c value of the 1983 "Flowers" definitive series. Rating:- ***.

The original unsurcharged stamp of 1969:-

Trinidad And Tobago Postal Corporation also issued a single stamp miniature sheet on 24 October 2015, sold mounted on cardboard backing which commemorated the 70th anniversary of The United Nations as well as the International Year of Light and Light-based Technologies. The sheet was designed by Troy Rhodes from a photograph by Richard Charan (Multimedia editor of CNN) and lithographed with gold foil and luminous ink by UAB Garsu Pasaulis of Lithuania (alarm bells - is there any link here with the dreaded Stamperija?). Rating:- ***.

The Isle Of Man Post Office will issue a miniature sheet on 10 May 2016 to commemorate the explorers Frank Worsley, who participated in the Endurance Expedition 100 years ago, and Henry Worsley who died on 24 January 2016 after attempting the first solo unsupported and unassisted crossing of the Antarctic land mass. While these two men are notable, I can find no connection between either of them with The Isle Of Man so I am not clear why the Manx Post Office is issuing this item other than to cash in on the memory of these heroes (the sheet costs £3.50p). The issue was designed by Isle Of Man Advertising and Paul Ford and printed in lithography, perforated 13. Rating:- *.